KENTUCKY — On this “In Focus Kentucky” program, we’re taking a look at infrastructure in Kentucky.
Lots of government-led transportation projects, ranging from widening roads to adding bike lanes, to repaving or revamping highways or even replacing bridges in some parts of the state, are either underway right now or scheduled for the next two years.
Earlier this spring, Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., signed House Bill 266 into law, which is the 2024-2026 Biennial Highway Construction Plan. It was passed by lawmakers during the 2024 General Assembly legislative session in Frankfort.
According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the Commonwealth has more than 78,000 miles of public roads and streets, including nine interstate highways and nine state parkways. The state also has over 13,500 bridges, with about 9,000 of them maintained by the state.
State Transportation Secretary Jim Gray joins this “In Focus Kentucky” segment to discuss KYTC’s role in building and maintaining federal highways and Kentucky state highways, as well as regulating other transportation related issues.
“I will say that there are some projects that were not on the job description, and you mentioned and in a challenging way, I discovered that the Transportation Cabinet, and especially the Department of Highways, in some respects, is an operational backbone for the state, because when it comes to unexpected events like the disasters, like the natural disasters we experienced in Western Kentucky, with the tornado in eastern Kentucky with the floods, transportation, Cabinet employees are often the first of the first responders. They’ve got to get the roads cleared before even first responders can often get to a victim. So, I’m so grateful. And the governor is so grateful to the 4400 employees that you just mentioned, and the projects. I’m so convinced that first one. The governor did have a real priority on some major projects. Those three major projects include the Brent Spence Companion Bridge in northern Kentucky, to relieve the congestion at I-71 and I-75, where they merge, of course, in northern Kentucky and Cincinnati, relieve that. Congestion of the 160,000 vehicles a day that traveled that bridge over 3% of the nation’s gross domestic product,” said Gray.
During this segment, Gray also discusses the Mountain Parkway expansion in eastern Kentucky and I-69 Ohio River Crossing between Henderson, Kentucky and Evansville, Indiana.
You can watch the full 'In Focus Kentucky' segment in the player above.